1956 Oldsmobile 88 4 door Hardtop purchased new by Martin Ludwig at Rector Motor Co. in Appleton Wisconsin October 12th 1956. He traded in a 1937 Desoto that took $1013.80 off the total sales price of $4063.80. It remained in Martins care until his passing when it was left to his niece. One family car since new showing 22,512 miles since new. The Holiday “Pillarless” 4 door Hardtop are rarely seen and much more attractive than their sedan counterparts.

The car remains in mostly all original condition, a receipt from “Ray and Roys” dated in 1967 shows “fender refinish” and some touch ups. The original factory applied Cirrus Blue (40) & Artesian Blue Poly(41)  still look great but have imperfections due to age and use over the years. It is a solid rust free car, all original floors, trunk, and rockers and has always been kept up as a reliable driver. It shows warm patina all over but remains in amazingly unrestored condition, very rare for a car that is over 70 years old!

• • Period-Correct Performance: Equipped with the desirable four-barrel carburetor setup, this high-compression V8 factory-rates at a commanding 240 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.
  • Smooth & Reliable: Renowned for its bulletproof reliability, five main-bearing cast-iron block, and hydraulic lifters, the engine fires up eagerly, idles with a quiet whisper, and delivers a deep, authoritative rumble under acceleration.
  • Effortless Power: It pulls strongly across the entire powerband, offering the kind of low-end torque that makes passing and highway cruising completely effortless.

• First-Year Innovation: 1956 marked the debut of the Jetaway automatic, a major evolutionary leap over early standard Hydra-Matics.
• Ultra-Smooth Shifting: Utilizing a unique dual-fluid-coupling design, it cushions gear changes by dynamically filling and draining secondary oil chambers. The result is an incredibly smooth, linear sweep through all four forward gears.
• Modern Convenience: This is the highly desirable era-correct automatic that includes a dedicated, factory “Park” position on the shift indicator for modern safety and peace of mind.
• additionally optioned with power steering and power brakes.

All of the exterior chrome is in good shape and 100% original showing some aging. Rubber seals and glass are all in good shape.  The windshield shows no road rash, evidence of a low mile car.  The interior is all original and shows minor aging. There are notable cracks in the upholstery on the driver side armrest and some discoloration of the white parts of the interior. My interior Dye guy really wanted to touch it up and whiten the white but I decided to leave that up to the next owner in case they wanted no alterations from original. The trunk is a time capsule with the original never used spare , jack, and an additional spare just in case. The trunk factory sideboards and floor matting are in unbelievable condition.

Included are  original framed documents including The sales receipt rom Rector Motor co, the Car order form from Rector motors, original antenna tag, owners manual, a receipt from Brellenthin Chevrolet and Olds from 1971 showing only 16,302 miles, A receipt from “Ray and Roys” from 1967 showing some paint touch ups, the original Oldsmobile warranty card , and the Check Record from First National Bank of Appleton Wisconsin when the car was purchased new.

Runs and drives great and ready to enjoy!